The present invention relates to a device for absorbing shocks. Although the invention is described with reference to bicycles, it should be noted that it can as well be used with other two-wheeled vehicles such as motorbikes, mopeds, motor scooters and the like.
Such absorber devices for bicycles are known from the prior art. Such devices allow to buffer or damp the front wheel or the rear wheel relative to the frame in the case of impacts acting on the wheels such as they occur in rides across bumpy terrain or over the curb.
Such absorber devices use a chamber filled with a liquid medium within which a piston moves such that the medium passes through. For this purpose the piston may be provided with apertures. The cross-sectional area of said apertures allows to regulate the quantity of the medium passing through the piston and thus the absorbing factor.
However, not every riding situation calls for an absorber response. For example during pedaling the load on the bicycle rear construction varies. In these cases, an absorber response damping the rear construction relative to the frame is not always desired to the same degree. On the other hand, when the bicycle rides across rough terrain such as over rocks and the like or over curbs, the absorber should be full in action.